Cities of Gold and Yellow
by Bard the Kiwi
Summary: With a matter of weeks until Babylon 3 is completed, Thomas Jordan is taking a well-earned rest. But will the nagging thought of his "curse" come back to haunt him...?


"_**CITIES OF GOLD AND YELLOW"**_

September 12, 2252.

Tom hated yellow.

He thought of all the colours on the spectrum, yellow was the least interesting. And now, he had spent the last three months staring at nothing but yellow. At least in a couple of hours time he would be on his way Orion 7 and peace and quiet.

Tom slowly guided the panel into place. He wasn't used to driving the ME74 skylifter so he didn't want to make a mistake. He had already made a small dent in a reinforcing strut at 11am that morning, but tried not to make a big deal out of it. He'd done worse, he thought to himself.

Still, he was proud of what he did. It felt good to know that what he was building was gonna make a difference in the universe. He'd lost his father fighting the Minbari during the Battle of the Line three years ago, and hoped that the massive space station being assembled beneath him would make sure nothing like that would ever happen again. Then Tom wondered what his orientation was. Was the station really beneath him? Or above him? Epsilon 4 was on the other side of the station, out of his view so he had no reference. He was most likely pointing downwards he thought to himself.

In front of him, the cavity was registering on his instruments and he adjusted the controls accordingly. The ME74 rotated slightly, changing the stars above his head. The heavy lifter was built from the same mould as a Starfury, albeit with hydraulic grappling arms instead of a weapons pod. RCS thrusters shunted the skylifter and the sizeable piece of hull plating it was carrying – three times its size – towards the gaping hole in the superstructure.

To his right, another of the great solar panels was being moved into place. Unlike the previous two stations he'd worked on, Babylon 3 would have its solar panels arranged in a ventral/dorsal pattern, giving it a shark-like appearance. Not that the other alien races would know what a shark was, or whether their respective home worlds had a similar creature living in the oceans – did the Narn Homeworld even have oceans? – it did give him quiet comfort that this station would appear to have 'teeth'.

He saw four ME74s pushing the solar array towards the spin of the great station – yep, definitely on the dorsal side – and noted the speed. Jacobs was most likely pushing the lead ME74. Idiot. Coming in too fast. He remembered a similar time on Babylon 2 when Jacobs overcooked his approach and damaged part of the cargo bay. Stupid Scotsman. Took them ages to-

"Tom, watch your approach!"

Tom suddenly turned his gaze back to his own instruments. Nothing was wrong. The plating was holding steady and he was still on target for the hull cavity. Proximity alarms were all normal.

"Samuelson you bastard!" Tom said, making sure he didn't lose control of the skylifter.

"Just keeping you on your toes, kid." Below him he could make out an EA transport heading away from the station and towards the jump gate.

"I'll come back and pick you up in a couple of hours" Samuelson said. "Better be done by then"

"Hey this is my last one. I might take a stroll through the core while I wait for ya".

Tom looked at his gauge, only a few seconds more.

"Keep your hands off her you randy bastard".

Tom smiled as he heard the coms click off. Everyone knew he had the hottest girl on the station crew. It was also a well know fact that the ratio of men to women was 8:1, so jealously, male chauvinism and enlightened self interest went hand in hand. The jump gate spiked and the shuttle disappeared into the vortex.

The panel slid forward and into the cavity with a satisfying beep from his nav computer, although if space had sound it would've sounded much more like grinding metal. Tom let out the breath he didn't realise he was holding. Over the coms he heard what sounded like thunder, then worked out it was actually applause. He glanced out of his window.

The ME74 skylifters were flashing their running lights in unison, something workers often did as a sign of congratulations.

"Been watching you on the monitors, Tom."

Tom suddenly snapped out of euphoria as he heard her voice. _Watching me_ he thought, _she was watching me_. Girls don't normally glance at him, well not unless they think he's gonna mug them, but this one was deliberately keen to see him. He felt so

blessed.

"Thanks... Mel, I er... appreciate it". Appreciate it? Are you mental?

"I'm bored here. Finished my shift early. Wanna come for a walk?"

- I – I – I -

The inside of Babylon 3 was huge. The cylindrical hollow cavity was covered in reinforcing scaffolding and ducting cables that would later be stowed and hidden away, but today were currently exposed for easy access.

Tom drifted through the hatch and stared up at the central shaft running the full length of what would one day become a cylindrical garden. Sparks flares and died at random all over the chamber as welders went about their business. Dozens of workers in yellow uniforms floated over the scaffolding, moving from one area to another, like bees.

Great, Tom thought to himself. More yellow. He didn't know why it got to him so much.

One such suited figure moved towards him. She smiled, and he instantly melted. "You took your time" she said, taking off her gloves. Tom couldn't help but stare at her. Long flowing blonde hair, slightly pointed chin, beautiful blue eyes. Definitely not suited to build a space station he thought. He grabbed her and pulled her close, giving her a kiss on the lips before she could argue. The motion made them both float upward slightly, but Tom absently raised an arm and grabbed a nearby scaffold to steady them. Workers wolf whistled and jeered. Finally, Mel pulled them both apart.

"My you are happy aren't you?" she said, lowering her feet down to the ground, allowing the Velcro strips under her feet to find the corresponding grid lines which ran all over the insides of the chamber. The station wasn't rotating yet so the Velcro was put in to act as a poor-man's gravity field.

"Just finished the outer hull in Section G. Looks good."

"Did you do a good job?" she asked, stroking his ego a little more. He loved her Texas accent. He was sure she was the only Texan on Babylon 3, which made it even more special. Even since Mel had known him she had clearly noted his confidence was lacking, and vowed to build it up whenever she could.

"I did! I managed to get all the panels in place without any problems. Well, maybe a small dent but no one should spot until after I'm gone." He hesitated, and Mel noticed.

"What is it?"

"Oh it's nothing."

"What?"

"I just wish... they'd picked a different-"

"Don't say colour. God Tom, you're still going on about that, aren't you? There's nothing wrong with Yellow. Besides it's actually gold"

"Gold?" He hadn't thought of that.

"Yeah, gold. A massive spinning city of gold in space. The Aztecs would've loved it. Don't you think that's a better way of thinking about it?"

Tom glances past Mel. A few of the workers were still watching them, probably hoping they would get into a fight and break up, thus putting Mel back "on the market".

"I guess so..."

"It's not yellow it's gold. C'mon Thumb, it doesn't look that bad"

"It- what? Thumb"

"Tom Thumb. Thought of it myself. Rather good isn't it?"

Tom hesitated. Too long. Mel pouted and put on her best puppy dog face, somehow making

Tom even more attracted to her. "Aw but I wike it...."

"It's not exactly... manly."

Mel folded her arms. "Alright Tom... I'll make sure you have a decent nickname by the time we reach Orion 7."

She took a step back, the Velcro ruining what would've been a very sexy pirouette. "Oh I can't wait for this. Three weeks break from welding and sexist jokes. Three weeks of sunning it on the southern continent. C'mon, lets go"

Mel pushed past him, heading for the hatch, the Velcro tearing under her feet as she went. Tom could tell she was eager to get there, and he had to admit he couldn't blame her. He turned to look at the chamber one last time, the workers going about their business, a few of them smiling as Mel drifted quickly away, no doubt hoping she'd just broken up with him. Tom turned back and floated out of the hatch.

- I – I – I -

Tom pushed his feet off and allowed himself to sail down the aisle. The shuttle was already half full. Or was it half empty? Tom didn't really care, as long as he made sure he patched things up with Mel.

He reached his seat, 17A on the port side, and grabbed the handle on the side of the aisle to slow himself down. He pulled himself over the first chair and into the second. He grabbed the large shoulder straps over his body and latched them together, then he slid his feet into the brackets on the floor so as to stop them from moving involuntarily in flight. He looked up just as Mel drifted into the seat beside him.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. I noticed your handy work on the way over. Not bad." Mel indicated out the window. Tom followed his gaze to see the massive bulk of the station parked outside his window.

All yellow. All six miles of it. Six miles of yellow. Hoo-bloody-rah.

The plating he had just installed was easily visible. Behind the station, the outline of one of the new Omega class destroyers could be seen. Tom knew the EA wanted maximum security after the first two stations were lost to sabotage. This time there weren't any issues that he could see. Workers were required to report any "disharmony". It looked like Babylon 3 might actually succeed Senator Natawe's vision. Good things come in threes he told himself. Still, despite the firepower that the EA Terminus possessed, she was no match for a Minbari warship should one decide to pop up and start another war.

"I've got a cat back home. He had a cute name. Jinxo. Maybe that would work for you? I mean, it is a little harsh considering what the others are saying about you-"

Tom was confused. "What are the others saying about me?"

Mel didn't have chance to answer as the coms system chirped. "Alright boys and girls, settle down, we've started to pull away from the station and head for the jump gate early so take your seats as quickly as possible."

Tom noted Samuelson's voice. When he said he would get Tom earlier it was a joke, as they normally don't end up on the same shuttle. Clearly this time they got their timetables correct. The shuttle was filling up now with less people flying past the aisle heading for their seats, and most actually in them. A yellow light came on, warning of engine activation and movement though the cabin should be restricted.

A yellow light went on next to Tom, giving the same warning as in the aisle. Tom stared at it, wishing the yellow to go away. He realised it was annoying him more today than any other day. Maybe three weeks on Orion 7 would be good. He could stop worrying about pointless things that wouldn't bring about the end of the universe.

"Part of me wishes I didn't have to leave."

Mel spun round to look at him. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. You need a rest."

"That isn't what I-"

His attention was grabbed by a man with a thick beard slowly flying past their row. "Nice job today Thomas, looks like you almost earned your paycheck for once."

The man's thick Scottish accent was recognisable. "Hey Jacobs. Thanks."

Tom let it ride; he knew whenever he was with Mel, Jacobs gave him hell.

"Wasn't talking about the plating." He gave Mel an evil look before allowing his momentum to take him past their seats. Tom wanted to go after him but his straps held him in place. Mel put a reassuring hand on his arm.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I hate it how people treat us. It's like they expect me to fail with you. It happens so often half the time I expect us to fail too."

Mel edged closer, as much as her straps would allow. So close he could smell her. Oh so sweet. If she would sit this close for the whole journey to Orion 7 he'd be happy. Outside, the station had started to drop away. Only the reactor housing was visible outside his window now, and even that was fading fast.

"Do you know what I see in you?"

Tom shook his head. Mel continued. "I see hope. I see happiness bursting to get out. The others, they do this for the pay check, but you, you do this because you enjoy it. I saw your face when you came in and told me you'd finished the hull. You were happy because you had accomplished something."

"I guess so"

"No guessing about it. You're a good man, Tom. That's why I like you. The others here don't have that kind of commitment to their work. You should be proud of what you do."

Tom smiled. "You're right... you're absolutely right. I do enjoy this. And I'll make sure once Babylon 3 is finished we can get a nice place. Maybe even somewhere on the station, she can hold around 350,000 permanent residents apparently."

"Easy, don't want that kind of commitment. Let's just go with the flow and see what happens."

Tom laughed. "Sure, I don't want to-"

A flash caught Tom's attention outside the windows. Everyone in the cabin stopped talking and turned to see.

A second flash illuminated the windows.

"What is it?" Mel asked.

"Not sure". Tom strained to see, pressing his face flat on the window, but couldn't get past the bulkhead behind him.

A third flash.

Suddenly the yellow warning lights vanished and were replaced by red. A klaxon went off. People still floating lose in the cabin tried to hold onto something, anticipating what was about to happen.

With a sudden jerk Tom felt himself pushed back in his seat. Anyone still floating was instantly thrown to the rear of the cabin. Mel could hear the sickening sound of bones crunching when bodies impacted the rear wall. Tom felt the engines go to maximum burn.

Mel grabbed his hand tightly, terrified. "What the hell is happening?"

"I don't know..." Tom tried to think of what it could be, but always came back to the same conclusion. Something had happened to Babylon 3. It was happening again...

Tom saw the first of the debris fly past the window, overtaking them. A deafening thud reached the cabin as the ship lurched forward. They'd been hit but they still had pressure, so the debris, whatever it started life as, didn't penetrate the ship.

"Tom, God, I hope it's not the station... we left over 800 people back there"

"I know, the-"

A sudden thrust to starboard caused Tom to smack face first into the pane of glass beside him. Pain registered as nerve endings in his forehead screamed at him. He could feel blood trickling down his face. He opened his eyes and looked straight out the window, then didn't believe them.

Outside was the massive, shattered form of a solar panel, 800 metres long, tumbling through space travelling faster than they were. Another object caught his attention ahead of them.

It was the jump gate.

"Oh hell" he said.

The shattered remains of the solar panel crashed head first into the left hand pylon of the gate, slicing through beams and bulkheads, ripping loose the gate's own paneling before the pylon finally gave way, splintering inwards towards the other pylons. Some umbilical's still remained attached, allowing the forward section of the dead pylon, broken in half about a third of the way down, to lay waving in the solar winds as the pylon's automated thruster control kicked in, trying to stabilise itself.

Tom couldn't believe his eyes. He managed to peel himself away from the window and look at Mel. She was holding her neck in pain, the whiplash-inducing movement of the emergency thrust maneuver had done its damage. The lack of gravity in the cabin was making things worse for those still not strapped in. Some were now floating unconscious. Others were cradling damaged limbs, while still holding on in case there were any additional violent movements. Those strapped in were carefully reaching back to try and grab anyone that might need assistance, but dare not unstrap themselves.

"What was that? An attack?" Mel asked, laying her head back gently in the flight seat.

"I don't... don't know" Tom murmured. He knew what had happened, or was fairly certain what had happened. After all, he had experienced it twice, but this time it felt personal. His forehead was hurting a lot now. The coms spluttered, and he glanced at a nearby speaker.

"This is Captain Samuelson. We will be distributing medical aid shortly. We have to make sure no more debris from the station is coming our way."

This last comment laid the whole cabin in silence. Until now it was just speculation. Now he knew. The flashes, the debris, the shockwaves, had all come from Babylon 3. Now Tom wondered what was left of her.

And of the teams of workers – their friends – still inside.

Tom felt the shuttle move again, but this time more controlled and subtle. They were yawing left. Tom assumed Samuelson wanted a good look at the jump gate out of the forward windows.

Behind and in front, Tom heard gasps of horror and sobbing of some workers. He leaned back over his seat to see people peering out the port-side windows. His side.

He hesitated, not knowing if he really wanted to look out the window. Then he turned.

Outside, Babylon 3 was gone. It took him a second but then he saw it. Below, about 30 miles from its previous orbit, drifted the station.

What was left of it.

The forward section was badly damaged, but structurally she was holding together. The aft reactor was torn to shreds. The upper hull was stripped away; the blast that made the hole he saw had clearly blown the solar panels off and, in the case of the one that hit the jump gate, in their direction.

The hull he had fixed in place just two hours earlier was gone too.

He also saw what was left of the EA Terminus, drifting away and out of power. The ship had lost its forward section completely, the hanger torn off just forward of the spinning gravity section. The rest of the hull had been peppered with debris. He saw lifepods ejecting from the ship, which meant some had survived. But not many.

He turned back to Mel, and froze. She was staring at him, shocked, scared, repulsed, all in one. "They were... they were right about you..." she said nervously. "You are... cursed". That last word sent a shiver through his spine. He could feel his grave being walked on.

"Mel-"

"You're a... a... Jinx…"

Mel unlatched her harness and floated out of the chair, pushing herself off toward the back of the cabin. Tom watched her grab two injured men floating near the starboard airlock, and pulled them into a couple of empty chairs, strapping them in.

He turned back, and looked out of the window. He had lost her. The workers knew it was only a matter of time, and they were right. He'd let himself get too lost in the moment with her, and now she was gone.

He stared upwards out of the window. Epsilon 4 floated serenely above him, oblivious to the human disaster that had unfolded in her orbit.

Then something caught his eye. A blue conical shape formed, and a ship disappeared inside. A second later, the jump point closed. He racked his brain. He knew the silhouette of that ship. Slightly hour glass shaped, tendrils at the front.

It was a Vorlon ship.

Why were the Vorlons here? He thought to himself. Did they know this was going to happen? And why didn't they stop it?

And then a dark thought came over him. A thought he didn't want to think about, but knew it was already in his head.

Did the Vorlons destroy Babylon 3? They always wanted to help humans, not harm them, unless you were stupid enough to cross into their territory, in which case they ripped your head off, reattached it then ripped it off again. Babylon 3 was almost finished. It would've gone online, would've succeeded in its goal. Why get in the way of that? Unless...

Did the Vorlons destroy Babylon 3... so that Babylon 4 could be built? What could Babylon 4 achieve that Babylon 3 couldn't?

The thoughts were giving him a headache. He had to turn his attention back to the present. He knew if Babylon 4 was green lit he would stay right until the very end. Curse be damned.

Still, as he turned and saw the shuttle crew start to filter through the cabin offering support for the injured, a nagging thought remained. He tried to clear it, but Tom knew it would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Vorlons are yellow.

_**The End**_


End file.
